Tethered Finger Grips For Direct Depilation Of Body Hair

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for depilating body hair from the follicle comprised of two tethered finger grips. In one embodiment, the finger grips are made of a tacky, elastic and polymeric material. The finger grips are tethered together with a connecting member that can be made of the same material as the finger grips. The finger grips and connecting member are fabricated as one piece using a single mold.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

As people age, it is not uncommon for ear hair to develop. It can be unsightly and also a source of embarrassment. The vast majority of ear hair develops on the cartilaginous protrusion called the tragus. The tragus is located just above the ear canal. Ear hair can also develop around the outer ear. Removing ear hair by the use of clippers or shaving only cuts the hair shaft close to the skin. This allows unsightly stubbles of hair to be seen of which can grow back quickly and often times more dense. To make the human ear free of hair, the best procedure is to completely depilate the hair and root from the follicle.

Additionally, removing ear hair by peering into a mirror and pulling hair out with a set of tweezers, presents a difficult and cumbersome task. Also, sharp objects like tweezers, are not recommended to be used around the ear for fear of damaging the ear canal. Waxing around the ear to remove ear hair can also be dangerous for fear of hot wax entering the ear canal.

The present invention overcomes these issues by disclosing a device that allows a user to directly depilate body hair. In particular, the device pertains to a manually operated depilatory device. The device allows a user to slip their thumb and index finger into a set of tethered finger grips that then allows a user to directly grip and remove body hair from the follicle without the aid of a mirror.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There is existing prior art that addresses the use of a device that allows a user to directly depilate body hair. U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,115 to Halk discloses a device that allows a user to grip with their fingers and remove unwanted hair. However, Halk discloses an abrasive surface that removes the hair by rubbing or buffing the abrasive surface against the body where hair removal is desired. This is a disadvantage because a user may want to remove ear hairs and the ear is a sensitive area that an abrasive surface could damage. It could also be painful for the user if the abrasive surface rubbed against the ear. This device overcomes this problem by using a tacky surface that allows a user to simultaneously grip the hair and surrounding skin, without damaging surrounding skin tissue when removing body hair from the follicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a pair of finger grips that allow a user to slide their thumb and index finger into and then use the grips to pinch or grip body hair and then pull the hair off painlessly. The finger grips are made of a tacky and flexible material and are of a shape that fits comfortably over a user's fingers, but is also easy to slide on and off. The finger grips are tethered together using a connecting member that is also made of a flexible material. A degree of flexibility in the finger grips is important as it will allow fingers of different sizes to fit into the grips properly. Flexibility in the connecting member is important because it will allow for a degree of maneuverability when using the finger grips.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may take form in certain components and structures, preferred embodiments of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view showing how the finger grips would be used to depilate ear hair.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the tethered finger grips for directly depilating body hair.

FIG. 3 is a bottom up view of the tethered finger grips for directly depilating body hair.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is carried out as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. The finger grips 100 are made of a flexible, tacky, elastic and polymeric material. In the preferred embodiment, this material is a rubber. “Rubber” refers to a wide range of materials that have similar physical properties. There are also natural and synthetic rubbers. Any form of rubber can be used so long as it has the flexible, tacky and elastic properties. Neoprene rubber is one form of rubber that has been tested and works well for this invention, but many other forms of rubber have similar properties to neoprene rubber. These properties are important because they play a role in the functionality of the invention. The finger grips 100 need to have some flexibility because the device is intended to be a “one size fits all” design and having some flexibility will allow fingers of different sizes to fit into the finger grips 100 more easily. The finger grips 100 can have either a smooth or bumpy surface as either type of surface provides its own advantages when it comes to gripping hairs.

The finger grips 100 also need to have some thickness to them so that they will not fall apart or rip easily. However, they also cannot be too thick as that will make them cumbersome and hard to maneuver when it comes to depilating hairs in harder to reach parts of the ear. Therefore, the thickness should fall in the range of 0.1 to 1.5 millimeter range. The two finger grips 100 can be, but do not have to be the same thickness.

The finger grips 100 also need to have a shape that will be form fitting enough so that it will allow a user to maintain a tight enough grip on hairs to remove them by pulling on them. In the preferred embodiment, this shape is cylindrical for the thicker part of the finger and a closed hemispherical shape for the finger tip. Other shapes can also be used if they allow for the same degree of form fitting over the thumb and index finger of a user.

The connecting member 101 serves as a tether to keep the finger grips 100 securely fastened together. This provides the added benefit of keeping the finger grips 100 together and makes the device more difficult to lose. The connecting member 101 also serves as a way for storing the finger grips as the entire assembly can be hung from a hook or other protrusion using the connecting member 101. The connecting member 101 also serves as an improved pivot point for the user, allowing the finger grips to work similarly to a pair of tweezers.

The finger grips 100 and connecting member 101 can be fastened together by using a single mold and using a single injection mold process to create the device as a whole. The finger grips 100 and connecting member 101 can use the same material or can be co molded using different materials. A molding process is the preferred method for securing the finger grips 100 and connecting member 101 together because this will yield the most secure connection. Glue or some other form of fastening could be used to connect the finger grips 100 and connecting member 101 after they have been fabricated individually, so long as it provides a high degree of connectivity. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A device that allows a user to directly depilate body hair, comprising: a connecting member made of a flexible elastic polymeric material, wherein said connecting member comprises a first end, a middle section, and a second end; wherein said first end of said connecting member is securely connected to a proximal end of a first finger engaging member and said second end of said connecting member is securely connected to a proximal end of a second finger engaging member; wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member are made of an identical sturdy, tacky and flexible elastic polymeric material with a sufficient thickness; wherein said first finger engaging member comprises a secure shape that will fit over a user's index finger; wherein said second finger engaging member comprises a secure shape that will fit over a user's thumb.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein said sturdy, tacky and flexible elastic polymeric material of said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member is a natural or synthetic rubber and said connecting member also comprises a natural or synthetic rubber.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein said rubber of said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member is neoprene rubber.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein said secure shape of said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member comprises a cylindrical shape with an open end on a proximal side of said cylindrical shape and a closed hemispherical shape on a distal side of said cylindrical shape; wherein said thickness of said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member is between 0.10 and 1.5 millimeters.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member are securely connected to said connecting member using injection molding of a single mold and said connecting member also comprises neoprene rubber.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member comprises a smooth textured depilating surface.
 7. The device of claim 5, wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member comprises a bumpy textured depilating surface.
 8. The device of claim 6, wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member are of different thicknesses wherein said first finger engaging member will fit snugly over said user's index finger and said second finger engaging member will fit snugly over said user's thumb.
 9. The device of claim 7, wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member are of different thicknesses wherein said first finger engaging member will fit snugly over said user's index finger and said second finger engaging member will fit snugly over said user's thumb.
 10. A device that allows a user to directly depilate body hair, comprising: a connecting member made of a flexible elastic polymeric material, wherein said connecting member comprises a first end, a middle section, and a second end; wherein said first end of said connecting member is securely connected to a proximal end of a first finger engaging member and said second end of said connecting member is securely connected to a proximal end of a second finger engaging member; wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member are made of an identical sturdy, tacky and flexible elastic polymeric material with a sufficient thickness; wherein said first finger engaging member comprises a secure shape that will fit over a user's index finger; wherein said second finger engaging member comprises a secure shape that will fit over a user's thumb; wherein said flexible elastic polymeric material of said connecting member is made of a different material than said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member; wherein said flexible elastic polymeric material of said connecting member is co molded with said sturdy, tacky and flexible elastic polymeric material of said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member.
 11. The device of claim 10, wherein said sturdy, tacky and flexible elastic polymeric material of said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member is a natural or synthetic rubber and said connecting member also comprises a natural or synthetic rubber.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein said rubber of said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member is neoprene rubber.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein said secure shape of said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member comprises a cylindrical shape with an open end on a proximal side of said cylindrical shape and a closed hemispherical shape on a distal side of said cylindrical shape; wherein said thickness of said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member is between 0.10 and 1.5 millimeters.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member comprises a smooth textured depilating surface.
 15. The device of claim 13, wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member comprises a bumpy textured depilating surface.
 16. The device of claim 14, wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member are of different thicknesses wherein said first finger engaging member will fit snugly over said user's index finger and said second finger engaging member will fit snugly over said user's thumb.
 17. The device of claim 15, wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member are of different thicknesses wherein said first finger engaging member will fit snugly over said user's index finger and said second finger engaging member will fit snugly over said user's thumb.
 18. A method for directly depilating body hair, comprising: a connecting member made of a flexible elastic polymeric material, wherein said connecting member comprises a first end, a middle section, and a second end; wherein said first end of said connecting member is securely connected to a proximal end of a first finger engaging member and said second end of said connecting member is securely connected to a proximal end of a second finger engaging member; wherein said first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member are made of an identical sturdy, tacky, flexible elastic polymeric material; wherein said first finger engaging member comprises a secure shape that will snugly fit over a user's index finger; wherein said second finger engaging member comprises a secure shape that will snugly fit over a user's thumb; wherein said user's index finger and said user's thumb within first finger engaging member and said second finger engaging member are pressed together to securely pinch a body hair; wherein said pinched body hair is depilated using a pulling motion.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein said body hair is an ear hair or a multiple ear hairs.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein said body hair is a nose hair or multiple nose hairs. 